


Mountains Out of Molehills

by grandmelon



Category: Free!
Genre: Fluff, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Love, M/M, Minor Nanase Haruka/Tachibana Makoto, slight angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-01
Updated: 2015-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-03 00:23:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4079542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grandmelon/pseuds/grandmelon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I'm sorry," Rin whispered, rubbing his eyes. "I don't want to fight."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mountains Out of Molehills

**Author's Note:**

> Just an idea I woke up with, quite literally. I actually had a huge amount of fun writing it for some reason? Well really only the beginning part, something about writing Rin experiencing that was just fun to write about. Probably because I can relate, whoops.
> 
> I hope everyone can find some good in this? It's not like I could ever write an unhappy ending anyways lmao. I'm too weak for that.
> 
> Please let me know if there are any glaring errors I should fix!

Rin’s eyes snapped opened, tears already in a gentle stream falling down his face. He turned to his side to see an empty bed, a sickening wave of nausea overcoming him.

 

Rin bolted out of the bed and sprinted towards the bathroom, puke not entirely reaching the bowl. Hot acid and undigested chunks from a dinner he barely remembered eating flying up and out of his mouth. Memories of an awful dream came flooding back as his stomach clenched and his throat burned, forcing out more of the putrid contents of his stomach into the ceramic bowl.

 

“Sousuke,” Rin started crying. Fat, pathetic tears falling into the toilet bowl while Rin just repeated his name, again and again. His hair was sticking to his face and getting in his mouth. He felt gross and sticky. His throat ached, his head was pounding, and his eyes stung.

 

He felt his hair being pulled back while he was dry heaving the last bit of his stomach up. He couldn’t look up to see him, his eyes sealed shut by his tears, but the hands on him were gentle. They put up his hair with a hair tie, and brought a wet paper towel up to his mouth to wipe away the puke and spit from his chin. They rubbed his back and helped him up and out of his clothes. Those hands finally wiped away his salty tears with a warm washcloth and brushed back the stray strands of his hair.

 

“Are you feeling better?” Rin’s favorite voice in the world asked. Tears started bubbling up in his eyes again but he nodded. He followed Sousuke’s instructions and sat in the tub, letting the warm water of the shower wash away all the grime. He heard the sound of the toilet being flushed and the potent smell of bleach filled the air.

 

“Sousuke,” he whimpered, pulling back the shower curtain a bit to see him cleaning up the mess. Sousuke looked over at him, dark circles were under his eyes, but he smiled just the same as he always did. It never felt so real before, the knowledge that he could never see that smile again. Yesterday was a scene straight out of Rin’s worst nightmares.

 

“What’s wrong?” Sousuke sighed, sitting down next to the tub and brushing his hand through Rin’s wet hair, pushing it back. He rubbed the soft of his cheek with the back of his knuckles before pulling away. His smile was gone, but none of the affection left his eyes. It made a knot in Rin’s throat.

 

“I’m sorry,” Rin whispered, rubbing his eyes. “I don’t want to fight. I didn’t, I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad about it. I was just worried that you were lying when you said it didn’t bother you and I should have believed you. I don’t want you to be worried about it. I don’t want you think there was anything more to that kiss, I didn’t, it wasn’t like that.”

 

“I know,” Sousuke answered, finally touching Rin for more than a fleeting second. His hand was cool against his wet cheek, thumb rubbing the swollen bags under his eyes. “I know it was a victory kiss, and it might have bothered me a bit but I know you’d never do that under normal circumstances. Trust me when I say I believe that you and Haru are just friends. You don’t have to feel so guilty about it. You won the gold, in the relay of all things. I told you all this yesterday, I told you when you first told me, it’s okay.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Rin called, arms reaching out for Sousuke on instinct. Sousuke let his wet arms wrap around his shoulders, soaking his shirt.

 

“I didn’t mean to, for yesterday to happen. It’s just Haru wouldn’t really talk to me and Nagisa, I knew Makoto would be upset even though he said he wasn't, but Nagisa called. And I don't think he meant to tell me but he told me how it brought back up doubts in Makoto and it’s not like I had any intention behind it! I just, I wasn’t,” Rin cried, “I wasn’t trying to hurt anyone.”

 

“I know,” Sousuke repeated, “you didn’t mean it Rin. It’s okay. Your friends know you didn’t mean anything by it either. As much as I respect both of them, and as much as I know you care about them, their insecurities are not your problem.”

 

“But I,” Rin sobbed.

 

“And I’m sure they’ll be able to get over it. You might have to suffer the silent treatment from Haru while he’s taking care of Makoto, but you can handle that right?”

 

Sousuke smiled a genuine smile at Rin before pulling back and pulling off his shirt. He slid off his pants and underwear and stepped into the shower. Rin scrambled forward to let him in. Sousuke sat down right behind Rin, pulling him in close and hugging on to him, kissing his cheek.

 

“I’m more concerned about this sudden self-destructive attitude you brought on yourself. I thought that was my thing,” Sousuke joked, but Rin didn’t laugh. Rin twisted around to wrap his arms around Sousuke, squeezing him tight. “It’s not like you aren’t known to have one of your moments every once in a while, but the drinking really surprised me.”

 

Rin’s grip around Sousuke tightened. He was being an idiot, it was a celebratory gift, he doesn’t even drink but he appreciated the sentiment. It was just when everything started falling apart he let that small, weak part of his brain, the one that liked to make things worse, decide to do like so many around him do. He tried to drink it away and it only made matters worse. When Sousuke came home he was already a complete mess, completely out of his mind and out of his comfort zone.

 

“Sorry,” Rin whispered against his neck. “I wasn’t thinking.”

 

“Which is really unusual, and exactly why you’re forgiven,” Sousuke said, a light tone in his voice as he rubbed Rin’s back.

 

Sousuke and Rin sat quietly for a while, before Rin stood up to get washed, Sousuke helping him through it. It was difficult, Rin was being difficult, clinging to Sousuke like he was, but Rin saw the look in his eyes when he’d complain and knew he didn’t mind it. Rin barely moved more than five centimeters away from Sousuke at all times as they finished and dried off. Rin made sure to clean his mouth properly and was grateful for the new bottle of mouthwash. Even as they went back to the bedroom to get changed he was right on his heels.

 

“What else is wrong?” Sousuke asked as he pulled Rin into bed, both settling into their normal positions. Rin slipped his arms under Sousuke’s shirt, trying to feel as much of him as possible, encasing him in his arms and legs. The memory of his dream sat in the back of his head, a constant reminder of an awful possibility.

 

“Bad dream,” Rin mumbled, “really bad dream.”

 

He nudged his head against Sousuke’s face and looked up at him. Sousuke looked back at him. Rin slipped a hand out from under his shirt and it was Rin’s turn to touch Sousuke’s cheek. Rin thought then that touching Sousuke, being touched by Sousuke, was such a luxury. Rin knew they were going to kiss from the look in his eyes, and pressed forward to meet him halfway. When their lips met it felt so warm and so gentle. He couldn’t understand how the touch of lips could mean something so different when it was with him.

 

It didn’t feel like giving a kiss to his mom or his sister when he was little. It didn’t feel like giving away his first kiss to his first crush, and it didn’t feel like that kiss with Haru. It was something entirely different even though it was the same act.

 

He felt light, weightless when he kissed Sousuke. He felt like every single problem he had didn’t exist. It felt unreal, how loved he could feel just by kissing him. When Sousuke pulled back, it wasn’t far, and they both sat there looking into each other’s eyes. Rin touched Sousuke’s lips, running his fingers over them. They were soft, and bigger than his. The feeling of them made his fingertips tingle and he leaned in for another peck.

 

“Rin,” Sousuke whispered when they separated again, leaning his forehead against his. Rin hummed, rubbing their noses together. He didn’t want to think about everything that happened, but he knew when they woke back up they’d have to talk it out. “Love you.”

 

Rin kissed him again before shuffling down to lean his head against his chest.

 

“I love you too.”


End file.
